I’ll Hold Your Hand And Promise You A Lifetime - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Blessings From Misfortunes (1)

At the hospital, it was quiet that night. Only a few patients in hospital gowns walked slowly around, accompanied by their families. The bright white lights made the surrounding buildings look even more eerie. Ning Ran gently placed Yuexi on a bench. Watching her lie there motionless, she felt dazed. She walked over and patted her cheek. “Yue Xi, Yue Xi, don’t sleep. Talk to me. Yue Xi!”

“Ning Ran, wait until the doctor gets here. Don’t shake her anymore. She lost so much bl00d,” Sarah said with red eyes, pulling Ning Ran’s hand away.

“Where are the doctors?! Such a big hospital! Why is no one here!” Ning Ran completely lost the calm she’d tried to maintain. Only now did she remember a friend of hers worked here. “Old Mao! It’s me, Ning Ran! Get to the hospital, now! My sister is hurt! Hurry!” she yelled into the phone, not caring about manners.

“I’m coming, I’m coming, don’t panic. I’ll call the on-duty doctor first,” Old Mao replied, already getting up and changing quickly.

“Where’s the patient?” A young nurse rushed out of the duty room. When she saw Yue Xi covered in bl00d, she quickly ran back and called the others. Several staff members hurriedly wheeled out a stretcher and lifted Yuexi onto it.

“You’re Old Mao’s classmate, right? He just called me. Don’t worry,” the doctor said kindly, putting on a surgical mask. “We’ll examine the patient and treat the wounds. Once we have the test results, we’ll proceed accordingly.”

“Thank you,” Sarah said, supporting Ning Ran’s shoulder.

“No need to thank us.” The doctor nodded politely and wheeled Yuexi away.

Watching Yue Xi disappear behind the doors, Ning Ran collapsed into Sarah’s arms. “It’s my fault. How could I let her go deal with it? Why did I let her go? It’s all my fault… all my fault…”

“Ning Ran, listen to me. Don’t overthink. Right now, all we can do is pray. Pray Yue Xi will bounce back by tomorrow,” Sarah whispered, hugging her and patting her back.

“She’s the only sister I have…” Ning Ran choked on her sobs.

“I’m here. I’m here. She’ll be okay,” Sarah said, heart aching as she watched Ning Ran’s breakdown.

Soon, Ning Ran pulled herself together and stood up to leave. “I need to find those bastards.”

“Ning Ran!” Sarah grabbed her. “We don’t even know Yue Xi’s condition yet. Wait!”

“How can I wait!” Ning Ran shouted.

“Look at yourself! Do you even look like a proper older sister?!” Sarah snapped and slapped her across the face. “Yue Xi’s still lying in there! No matter how anxious you are, now isn’t the time. What if she wakes up and wants to see you?”

The slap stunned Ning Ran. She touched her face, as if waking from a trance. “I…”

“I know,” Sarah said softly. “Does it hurt?”

“No.” Ning Ran grabbed Sarah’s hand and pressed it to her cheek.

The two sat quietly together. Ning Ran’s phone suddenly rang.

“Hello?”

“There were three fights near CH High School tonight.”

“Only one person involved.”

“Then it was that punk and his woman.”

“A second-year girl? Zhou Yaxuan?”

“Yeah.”

“They messed with you?”

“My sister. I’m at the hospital now. Tell me what to do.”

“Damn, she’s like family to us. You want me to take care of it now or…?”

“Keep an eye on them. Let them think about how they want to die. I’ll deal with the rest once my sister wakes up.”

“You got it. Any word from the old man?”

“Not yet. But he told me to bring Yuexi home before.”

“Good. I’ll bring people over soon.”

“Mm.”

Old Mao arrived not long after, in his white coat, heading straight to the emergency room.

About an hour later, Old Mao personally brought the test results. He explained Yuexi’s condition to Ning Ran and Sarah: her head had taken a heavy blow. The bleeding had stopped, but they couldn’t rule out a concussion. She had a fracture in her left rib—thankfully it didn’t injure her heart or lungs and had already been stabilized. But they had to watch for complications. Her old leg injury might have relapsed and needed further examination. There were also multiple minor injuries on her limbs that would heal with rest. She was still unconscious and hadn’t been moved to the inpatient department. For now, she was in a single room in the emergency ward in case anything happened.

“Thanks, Old Mao,” Ning Ran said as they walked.

“Don’t mention it. We’re old friends. Luckily, you got her here quickly and without any bumps on the way. If that fractured rib had pierced an organ, it would’ve been serious.” He closed the medical chart. “She’s stable for now, but internal bleeding is still a concern. I’ve told the staff to check on her often.”

“Phew… So when will she wake up?”

“We gave her medication. Once it wears off, the pain will probably wake her.”

Ningran punched his arm and glared.

“Ow. Don’t worry, she’s in good health. She’ll be fine.” Old Mao yawned. “Go see her.”

Ning Ran nodded and entered the room with Sarah. They sat on the reclining chairs, keeping watch. A nurse came in to check on her and reassured them that Yue Xi’s condition was stable.

The light outside the window was glaring. Ning Ran stood to stretch and saw Sarah had fallen asleep with her head by Yue Xi’s bed. She quietly draped her jacket over Sarah’s shoulders, glanced at Yue Xi again, and silently left.

Meanwhile, Yi Luo had waited a long time for Yuexi in the apartment complex. Her phone was off, and she was getting anxious. Thinking Yue Xi might have overslept, she took the elevator to knock. After a long wait, with no response, she knocked again.

As minutes passed, Yi Luo grew increasingly uneasy. She remembered how Yuexi had disappeared once when they were young. Her raised hand fell. She squatted down, hugging her knees.

Just then, Ning Ran stepped out of the elevator carrying a bunch of food and spotted the small figure curled up at her door. “Xiao Luo?” she called gently.

Yi Luo jolted and looked up. Her eyes were brimming with tears as she ran to hug Ningran. “Ningran-jie~”

“There, there.” Ning Ran put down the bags and gently patted her. “Don’t cry. What happened?”

“I… I thought you moved away again…”

“Aiya, we’re not moving this time. Don’t cry. Come in and wash your face,” Ning Ran said, half amused and half exasperated. Looks like Yue Xi really had a blessing in disguise this time.

Yi Luo wiped her eyes and followed her inside. “Ningran-jie, where’s Yue Xi?”

“Something happened. I’m packing a few things. I’ll take you to school so you’re not late,” Ning Ran said, frowning, eyes red from a sleepless night.

“What happened?”

“I’ll tell you after school,” Ning Ran replied, stuffing a few of Yue Xi’s clothes into her bag.

“Mm.” Yi Luo used Yue Xi’s handkerchief to wipe her face, but unease crept in.

“Let’s go.”

—

“Yi Luo! What are you daydreaming about? You’ve been out of it all morning,” Lu Man asked, observing her. “You’re always early, and today you almost got marked late.”

“Nothing.” Yi Luo rested her head on her hand. “I just feel this heaviness in my chest.”

“Your period?”

“No!” Yi Luo rolled her eyes. “Yue Xi didn’t come to school.”

“Oh, that’s what’s missing today,” Lu Man pushed up her glasses dramatically. “The one and only Yuexi.”

“Hey~ why do you call her that?”

“I heard she single-handedly beat that bald guy from second year. He totally submitted.”

“What? When did she get into a fight?”

“You didn’t know?” Lu Man leaned in. “I heard from others—her moves were so slick!”

“Are you sure they weren’t exaggerating?”

“Don’t you notice Yue Xi has this magical aura? She can solve anything!”

“You admire her that much?”

“Of course! She’s my idol now! One—great at basketball! Two—smart! Three—amazing singer! Four—handsome! Five…” Lu Man began counting on her fingers. “Oh! She’s good at both brain and brawn!”

“Haha, true!”

“She’s so awesome, I should become her apprentice! Starting today, I am… the rising star of the martial world! I shall be known as—duh duh duh dum! Deadly Mandala!”

Yi Luo laughed so hard she nearly bent over.

“Lu Man, cut the act.” Liu Le smacked her on the head. “Pfft, ‘deadly’? You’ve got a chicken bone for a body. Not cut out for martial arts.”

“You just love going against me, don’t you?” Lu Man struck a pose. “Have at you!”

The two started chasing each other around the classroom, giggling.

Yi Luo smiled faintly, but her thoughts drifted to Yuexi. What really happened? Why didn’t she reply to her texts?

“Yi Luo.” Zhou Yaxuan stood at the door of Class 5 in her school uniform.

“You?” Yi Luo frowned, not wanting to deal with her, but still walked over.

“Yi Luo, I know I was wrong. I know I messed up. Can you forgive me?” Zhou Yaxuan looked genuinely remorseful.

“Huh?” Yi Luo was confused. Liu Le and Lu Man also stopped and came over.

“Yuexi, sigh, it’s all my fault. I beg you, please forgive me. If you do, maybe Yue Xi will leave me alone.”

“Yue Xi is picking on you?”

“Yeah. I’m scared.”

“Yue Xi didn’t come to school today,” Lu Man folded her arms.

“She didn’t?… Oh no, I’m dead.”

“What’s going on?” Yi Luo was totally lost.

“Yi Luo, just say if you’ll forgive me?”

“What exactly did you do? I haven’t even seen Yue Xi.”

“Well… she called me out last night to talk things out. I went, but we had a conflict. You know Yue Xi knows some martial arts—she injured a few of my friends. Things got messy, and someone accidentally hit her on the head…”

“What!” Yi Luo gasped. She never imagined Yue Xi was hurt.

“Now she’s got people watching me, threatening me about my fate,” Zhou Yaxuan said with a crying face.

“That’s impossible. Yue Xi wouldn’t do that…” Yi Luo clenched her sleeves, worry growing.

“It’s true.” Zhou Yaxuan pulled over Wang Liwei. “Ask her if you don’t believe me.”

“Yeah, it was scary… those people almost made us cry,” Wang Liwei added, shivering.

“Alright, senior, don’t panic. I’ll talk to Yuexi. You go back for now.”

“Okay. I’m counting on you. I’m really scared,” Zhou Yaxuan said, pulling Wang Liwei away in a jog.

“Hahahaha! Did you see Yi Luo’s dumb face? What an idiot!” Wang Liwei cackled on the stairs.

“Exactly. Yue Xi that freak sent people to threaten me—so embarrassing. Sent her to the hospital and who knows if she’ll even make it,” Zhou Yaxuan sneered.

“We should be careful though. That person earlier didn’t seem like…”

“What’s there to be scared of? Yi Luo is so easy to fool. When Yue Xi gets back, we’ll mess with her in front of Yi Luo.”

“Great plan.”

They kept chatting as they walked away, unaware that Yuanzi was standing around the stair corner, listening.

Yi Luo sat back down, deep in thought. Liu Le and Lu Man wisely stayed quiet.